1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an energy absorbing bracket for a steering column of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Steering column assemblies for vehicles include an outer jacket and an inner shaft that is received in and rotatable relative to the outer jacket. A steering wheel is coupled to the inner shaft. Steering column assemblies can be of the collapsible variety. Collapsible steering column assemblies are available that collapse during a crash event such as a frontal collision of the vehicle. During the crash event, the collapsible steering column assembly is designed collapse if the momentum of a driver's body applies a force through the steering wheel such that the collapse gradually arrests movement of the driver's body to minimize injury to the driver.
The collapsible steering column assembly includes an energy absorbing bracket rigidly attached to the vehicle. The energy absorbing bracket includes a mounting portion for rigid attachment to the vehicle and a body portion extending from the mounting portion. The outer jacket is spaced from the mounting portion and is rigidly attached to the body portion.
When the driver's body applies force through the steering wheel during a crash event, the force is transmitted to the outer jacket. If the force is sufficiently high, the energy absorbing bracket deforms allowing the outer jacket to axially stroke thereby absorbing energy. It would be desirable to provide an improved steering column assembly that includes improvements over current steering column assemblies such as the ability to be tuned to effectively manage the collapse of the energy absorbing bracket.